Councilmember Shayla D. Favor has served the residents of
Columbus on City Council since January 2019. She is Chair of the Housing,
Health & Human Services, and Criminal Justice and Judiciary Committees.
Prior to joining Council, Favor served as an Assistant City
Attorney in Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein’s office. As a Zone Attorney,
Favor had the opportunity to litigate high-profile environmental lawsuits, advise
administrative and local governmental agencies, and draft several pieces of
legislation. Favor worked alongside the leaders of our city and community to
provide essential city services to improve Columbus’ neighborhoods and
facilitate conversations to address criminal activity, vacancies, abandonment,
and blight.
While serving as a Zone Attorney, Favor implemented two
initiatives to address our City’s blight; the Vacant and Abandoned Property
program, along with Receivership program, have both addressed blight through
enforcement, demolition and rehabilitation. These initiatives have effectively
helped to decrease our vacant and abandoned property count and to put
once-blighted properties back into the housing market.
The manifestation of the disparities that lie within
historically marginalized communities can be identified through the examination
of the racial wealth gap, the lack of access to employment opportunities,
quality education, health care and affordable housing. As a member of Council,
Favor is intentional about focusing her work to ensure that everything she
legislates and advocates for is filtered through an equity lens in order to
address these disparities and combat racism through policy.
During her tenure, Favor created the Columbus Youth
Council, spearheaded the effort to amplify and fund Deliver Black Dreams,
expanded the City’s effort to protect immigrant and refugee families through
the Columbus Families Together Fund, legislated policies intended to address
housing insecurity with the Housing for All legislative package, and advocating
for public safety reforms with the Reimagining Safety Initiative. In addition
to serving on Council, Favor serves as the President of Partners Achieving
Community Transformation, a non-profit organization that is working to create a
healthy, financially, and environmentally sustainable community where residents
have access to safe and affordable housing, quality healthcare and education,
and employment opportunities. Favor is also serving as a visiting Professor at
Denison University, where she is teaching a class on the history of racism and
housing.
Favor lives on the Near-East side of Columbus with her
husband Corey and their dogs Hudson and Arizona.